


Halloween Fever

by sxlcouthgeek



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Cas is the best dad ever, Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love, Family Fluff, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Halloween, How Do I Tag, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Sick Jack Kline, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, i don't know how to tag, other stuff maybe, this is basically just lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27103789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sxlcouthgeek/pseuds/sxlcouthgeek
Summary: Halloween is Jack's favourite holiday, but this year, he is spending the day in bed with the flu, with his father Castiel feeling absolutely miserable for him. Luckily, Uncle Dean is there to save the holiday for Jack and bring him candy. Along the way, Cas has an epiphany that will change things between him and Dean forever.Or, the one where Jack and Dean are sweeter than all of Jack's candy put together. And what on earth are Cas' emotions doing, turning him into a flustered schoolgirl?
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 12
Kudos: 126
Collections: Destiel Instagram One Shot Contest - October 2020





	Halloween Fever

**Author's Note:**

> A million thanks to my awesome best friends for proofreading this fic for me and for encouraging me throughout. I love you both so much :)  
> (This is just an excuse for me to blame you two for any grammatical errors that might be there >:) )
> 
> This is literally the first time I've written fluff so please don't judge me too harshly :)

The shrill, loud ring of the doorbell reverberated through the mostly silent house as Castiel dabbed the damp cloth on Jack’s forehead gently.

“In a minute!” he called out as he dipped the cloth in the ice cold water again, squeezing it so that there were no stray droplets dripping from it. He folded it in half and laid it gently on Jack’s hot forehead. His eight year old son was looking up at him miserably. His usually mischievous golden brown eyes were shining with tears just waiting to be shed, hair wet and plastered down on his forehead. Castiel couldn’t bear to see him like this. The poor kid was missing his favourite holiday and there was nothing Castiel could do except nurse him through his fever which showed no signs of getting better. 

“I’ll be back in a minute, alright? Stay still.” Castiel said, smoothing back Jack’s hair from where it was lying damp and flat on his forehead. Jack nodded, looking absolutely despondent. When he saw Castiel’s expression soften even more, he put on a tired but brave smile and whispered an “okay”. Castiel smiled back and got up from the chair, pushing it back from where it was lying close to his son’s bed.

Castiel walked down the stairs and to the door, expecting trick-or-treaters seeking candy in all their excitedly grinning, costumed glory and grabbed the huge bowl of treats that he’d bought the day earlier. He wished Jack could enjoy the day too, as he had done every year without fail since he was a four year old. Castiel still remembered the day when he took Jack out for his first Halloween. He could still hear Jack's pure laughter when he got his first piece of candy from the sweet old lady who lived across the street. He remembered holding Jack's hand as he pranced through the neighbourhood, gleefully rummaging through his pumpkin-shaped candy bucket, taking great pleasure in pointing out every little decoration that caught his eye to Castiel. He’d been completely unfazed by the spooky skeletons and the cobwebs, simply laughing excitedly and running around like a hyperactive maniac.

A small smile spread unbidden on his lips as his mind wandered back to that day. He walked as fast as he could to the door, not wanting to keep the kids on the other side waiting. Besides, the sooner he got over with this, the sooner he could get back to Jack. Not that it’d really matter, anyway. He knew he would have to do this several times through the evening. 

When he’d gone to open the door, widely beaming, Castiel had expected animated children. Instead, his smile grew impossibly wider as he took in the sight of his best friend, dark blonde hair, windswept, green eyes shining like emeralds. He was smirking mischievously and it made butterflies flutter in Castiel’s stomach. He took in the sight of Dean who was dressed in a loose white shirt and tight leather pants, complete with his favourite brown leather jacket, a Stetson perched on his head and a whip on his waist. Distantly, Castiel thought of some adventure movies that Dean had made him watch months ago but his contemplation was forgotten when faced by how absolutely ravishing Dean looked. His thoughts had just begun wandering into dangerous territory, his skin tingling, when Dean’s voice jolted him out of his reverie.

“Hey, Cas,” Dean spoke, that easy smile that made his eyes twinkle, melting Castiel’s heart.

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel replied, opening the door wide. “Come in.”

Dean shuffled in, bumping into Castiel’s shoulder as he made his way through the door. The brief contact made the butterflies renew their attack on his stomach and his cheeks grew warm, Almost as warm as Jack’s forehead. Oh god, this was embarrassing. He was blushing like a goddamn schoolgirl with a crush. He mentally berated himself. He was a goddamn adult and he needed to act like it. He needed to get it together. He followed Dean into the hallway, who swaggered about like he owned the place. Judging by the amount of time he spent here, maybe it wasn’t actually too far from the truth, Castiel thought as fondness surged in his chest, warming him from head to toe. He couldn’t really help the soft smile that wormed its way onto his lips as he took in the sight of Dean – his best friend, the man he was in love with – walk up the stairs towards Jack’s room.

Castiel followed moments later and as he walked into his son’s bedroom, he was greeted by the sight of Jack sitting up in his bed, hugging Dean as if his life depended on it and Dean hugging him back, his cheek on Jack’s head and his hands soothingly stroking his back. The sight in front of him was so perfect that for a moment, Castiel had to look up and blink back the tears he suddenly felt pooling in his eyes, the fondness in his chest swelling up to the point that he thought that he might burst. He took a minute to compose himself, straightened up from where he was leaning against the doorway and walked into the room, gently admonishing them. As much as he’d loved the picture in front of him, he really couldn’t have Dean catch a fever too. He watched them break apart, Dean patting Jack’s shoulder tenderly one last time before moving his hand to pick up the wet cloth from his lap that had fallen there from his forehead when Jack had gotten up, slightly dampening the leg of his batman costume. Dean’s eyebrow shot up, his lips twisting into a smirk as he took in Jack’s costume for the first time. Castiel felt a sharp pang of sadness again. Jack had been so excited for Halloween, donning his costume right after breakfast and parading around in it the entire day, describing all the escapades that he’d planned with his friends with enthusiasm, before he’d gone down with a temperature.

“Batman, huh?” Dean smiled. “Good choice, buddy!”

“I wanted to be like you!” Jack exclaimed excitedly. Met with Dean’s blank stare, he clarified. “Because you’re Batman!”

Dean’s grin grew wider, until he could claim to give the Cheshire Cat competition. “Damn right I’m Batman!”

They chatted animatedly for the next few minutes, discussing every damn topic under the sun and Castiel ended up tuning out their conversation as he stood to the side, basking in the warmth radiating from the two people he loved most in the world. Not that Dean knew, of course. And Castiel was not going to ruin their friendship by telling him.

For the second time that evening, he was brought back to reality by Dean’s deep, soothing voice.

“Earth to Cas! You listening, buddy?”

“What?” Castiel asked stupidly, blinking slowly. Dean chuckled and Jack’s little squeaky voice piped up.

“Uncle Dean said he’d go trick or treating for me and get me back loooooaaaads of candy!” Jack said, dragging out the word. “Please, daddy?” he added, throwing in his puppy eyes that always made Castiel’s resolve crumble.

“Jack…” Castiel started but he was interrupted before he could say anything else.

“Aww c’mon, Cas! The kid needs his Halloween candy fix, doesn’t he?” Dean’s eyes grew wider and there was a little pout on his lips.

“Dean.” Castiel said warningly. As it is, he was having a tough time resisting Jack’s puppy dog eyes. He was not sure he could handle Dean’s thrown into the mix as well.

Too late.

They were both looking at him, eyebrows raised and adorable little pouts on their scrunched up faces. Those two bastards were teaming up against him. Dammit. He was fucked.

Castiel sighed. “Fine,” he said. “But if you get too much candy and Jack ends up getting cavities, I’m never letting you two near each other again.”

The matching smiles on both their faces were blindingly radiant and Castiel found himself smiling along with them. Dean got up from Jack’s bed, ruffling his hair and promising to be back with enough candy to last him a lifetime. The mock glare that he earned from Castiel on saying that only made him chuckle and the warmth and happiness in Castiel’s heart grow. As Castiel walked him out, they fell into a familiar teasing banter.

“You’re not really going to go trick or treating, are you?”Castiel asked.

“You bet your ass I am!” Dean said, grinning.

Castiel raised his eyebrow. “Aren’t you a little too old for that?” he said, fighting back the smile that threatened to grace his lips at the thought of the effect that statement would have on Dean. He reacted just as Castiel had predicted.

Dean brought his hand up the clutch at his chest over his heart, gasping exaggeratedly loudly. “How dare you?” he said in mock indignation. At that exclamation, both of them doubled over laughing and after a little more teasing and a wink from Dean that made Castiel’s heart leap and his knees weak, he was gone, promising to be back soon. 

Castiel closed the door behind him and went back up to Jack’s room, who was back to looking morose. He sat down next to him after plucking a book off his bookshelf, handing it to Jack.

“Hey, Jack. Why don’t you read something while I make you chicken noodle soup?” Castiel asked, smiling. Jack perked up at that.

“Yeah okay, daddy,” he said, picking up the copy of Charlotte’s Web that Castiel had picked up from the shelf and turning to the first page. Castiel sauntered down into the kitchen and went about preparing the soup that Jack loved so much.

As he stood at the counter chopping vegetables, his mind wandered and finally settled, as it often did, on Dean. The smile that always made him go weak in the knees. The sandy blond hair he always wanted to run his hands through. The smattering of freckles on his face, far more beautiful than the constellations in the night sky, standing out even more when he blushed. The way his eyes twinkled with mischief and warmth. His beautifully kissable pink lips. His kindness, his loyalty and the way he was always there for him and Jack even if he didn’t have to be. Castiel was so in love with him.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t dwell on him for long as the doorbell rang, shrill and loud, signaling the arrival of kids, the first of many that evening. Letting the soup simmer on the stove, he went to get the huge bowl to offer up to the kids outside.

It was a chaotic evening. Dividing his time between looking after Jack and handing out candy was easier said than done. With Jack’s temperature suddenly rising and the throngs of children that came to his doorstep gleefully shouting “Trick or treat!” Castiel didn’t exactly have time to relax, even for a bit. He ended up almost burning the soup, running from the doorstep where he’d been handing out candy to the stove just in the nick of time. The pouty faces on his doorstep when he returned led to pangs of guilt stabbing him in the chest. He apologized profusely and let them have extra candy to make up for his late arrival.

It was worth it, though, when he saw Jack’s face light up as he brought him a generous helping of the soup to his room. He was hunched over the book but straightened when Castiel knocked on the already wide open door before coming in. 

Jack smiled as he put down the book and Castiel moved the chair to sit beside his bed. They spent the next few minutes in companionable silence, punctuated only by Jack’s feeble but satisfied sighs as Castiel spoon fed the soup to his son. 

“When’s Uncle Dean gonna come back?” Jack asked suddenly, breaking the silence between them.

“Maybe another hour? I don’t know, he didn’t tell me,” Castiel said, shrugging. “I’m sure he’ll be back quite soon, though,” he added, taking in the look on his son’s face.

Jack fell asleep after that. Castiel had taken the dishes back down to clean and returned to check on his son only to see him leaning back against the headrest, head lolling to the side, mouth slightly open. The book had fallen from his loose hands onto his lap. Castiel smiled. He took the book from Jack’s hand and put it on the bedside table before maneuvering him into a more comfortable position on the bed. His lashes fluttered a bit but otherwise he gave no indication of waking up. Castiel tucked the blankets more securely around him and as he leaned down to kiss his son’s forehead, he noticed that his temperature had gone down.

Quite some time went by before Dean showed up. Castiel had taken to keeping the door open and sitting near it, so that the sound of the doorbell wouldn’t wake Jack up. The crowd of children seeking candy had thinned considerably by now, with only older kids coming to his doorstep. Afterwards, Castiel sat on the couch in the living room, reading through the manuscript that his client (and very close friend), Charlie had sent to him. Charlie had a way of absorbing people into her words, with thrilling plotlines and an intriguing style of writing. It wasn’t a surprise that her books were such a huge success. Castiel had just been reading a particularly gripping scene with the Queen of Moondoor and her consort, the fairy Gilda planning to overthrow her tyrannous master, when the shrill sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the house. He groaned as he put his laptop down and got up to open the door.

His small frown morphed into a smile as he saw Dean for the second time that evening, his hands occupied with a bag bursting full of candy. “Heya, Cas!” he said, grinning and pushed past him to go up the stairs. By the time Castiel came back to his senses and called out “Jack’s asleep!” Dean had already disappeared into his son’s room. He heard laughter as he walked up the stairs and realised that the doorbell must have woken Jack up.

Inside his room, Dean sat next to Jack, recounting some story or the other while the kid laughed, his mouth already stuffed full of candy. The sickly pallor of his cheeks was slowly being replaced by a light rosy hue. He looked much better than he had all evening. The three of them sat together for some time, trading jokes and laughing. Jack’s eyes were shining with happiness and even though he’d known it, the sudden realization that Dean was the one who made his son so happy struck him speechless.

It wasn’t very long before Jack was growing tired and yawning. Dean got up from his spot beside Jack, causing the kid to pout in protest.

“I’ll be back to visit ya tomorrow, kid. I promise,” Dean said with a chuckle, though there was no mistaking the sincerity in his voice. Jack smiled and bid the both of them good night.

Half an hour later, Castiel and Dean were sitting on the patio, watching the stars, sipping on beer and enjoying each other’s company. They had been making idle small talk but now they were just sitting in comfortable silence, neither of them feeling the need to speak a single word. It was Castiel who broke the silence.

“Thank you for getting all that candy for Jack. I hated seeing him so miserable and if you weren’t here, I don’t know what I would’ve done.” 

Dean smiled. “You don’t gotta thank me for nothin’, Cas. I love that kid like my own.”

Something in Castiel changed right then. He couldn’t pinpoint the feeling, but it promptly tore his gaze away from the stars to Dean’s face, glowing in the moonlight as memories from years ago came rushing back to him.

_Kelly, his best friend lay there, writhing and moaning in pain, with no one to keep her company except Castiel. Her own family had disowned her after she’d gotten pregnant._

_He stood next to her, wiping the tears and sweat away from her face as she screamed and cried in agony, nurses milling about around them._

_“Cas!” she screamed his name over and over again, while he did his best to try and soothe her, reassure her that he was right there next to her and wasn’t going anywhere, that he’d always support her, no matter what, that she was like a sister to him, that she was family._

_She was growing weaker by the minute and Castiel was trembling in fear, though he never showed it. She tugged on the hand clutching hers and Castiel moved closer to listen to her whispering._

_“You take care of my child, no matter what. Please, Cas.” she whispered through her tears, her voice faint. Castiel could only nod, the tears he’d been keeping at bay finally spilling over, mingling with hers._

_“Always, Kelly,” he said softly, his voice cracking. “I’ll always love your kid like my own.”_

Eight years ago he’d moved into this house, already a single father at the age of twenty five, with no one to call family except his brother Gabriel who lived in Chicago and the little three month old boy in his arms. Eight years ago he’d met the man who had now come to mean the world to him (and his son too, apparently). He’d barely been making enough money to provide for himself and Jack, whom he’d adopted after Kelly’s death. Dean (and eventually, his brother Sam, who’d moved back to Lawrence after having married his wife, Eileen) had always stood by him and helped him through everything. 

And here he was, after all these years, watching Dean as moonlight bathed his face in the softest silvery white, full of nothing but admiration and affection. Dean, who was selfless and loyal and kind. Dean, who always put the needs of others before his own. Dean, who downplayed how smart he really was, always heralding Sam instead. Dean, who was funny and witty and talented, with his fondness for classic rock, cars and Vonnegut and all manner of food, especially pie. Dean, who doted over his niece, Mary and absolutely spoiled her. Dean, who said that he loved Jack like his own child, secretly showering him with all kinds of gifts and treats because he thought Castiel didn’t know. Even if he had tried, Castiel couldn’t have stopped the words that slipped out next.

“I love you.” His voice was tender and adoring, as he tried to pour all the warmth and feeling swirling in his chest into those two words. 

Dean turned to look at him, eyes wide with shock before they softened, their corners crinkling as a smile graced that beautiful face. His eyes shone as if entire galaxies were encompassed within the green and gold. They just stared at each other for a few moments, green lost in blue, before Dean broke the silence.

“Jeez, Cas,” Dean said, voice uncharacteristically soft, “Never thought you woulda felt the same way about me.”

Castiel let out a small chuckle. “As if I could ever feel otherwise.” 

They stayed like that, lost in the other’s gaze until Dean’s eyes flicked down to Castiel’s lips in a silent question. Castiel smiled at that, at how Dean was always so considerate, before nodding and leaning in till their lips met in a sweet kiss.

Above them, the stars twinkled as if they were rejoicing, too.

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning for minor character death during childbirth I guess?
> 
> I hoped you liked the story! Kudos and comments are always appreciated :)


End file.
